Michigan State basketball: Series history vs. Ohio State

Michigan State basketball and Ohio State will meet up on Sunday evening in East Lansing. Who leads the all-time series?

Michigan State basketball is back in action Sunday afternoon after their tough 78-71 loss to Iowa. The Spartans need to get back to their winning ways or else their NCAA Tournament streak could be in jeopardy. Can Michigan State get it done against a struggling Ohio State team?

If history in this matchup tells us anything, MSU should be able to get back on track.

Let’s take a look at the series history between these teams before the game tips off.

MSU leads Ohio State comfortably

Sunday’s matchup will be the 136th meeting between Michigan State and Ohio State all time. The Spartans currently hold a solid 75-60 series lead in this matchup. This includes going 2-1 last year against the Buckeyes.

The Spartans swept Ohio State in the regular season last year, beating the Buckeyes 62-41 and 84-78. The second victory came in the last regular season game, the first of two straight meetings with the Buckeyes. Ohio State miraculously won two Big Ten tournament games to meet MSU in the quarterfinals, and they continued their tournament run by upsetting the Spartans 68-58.

This loss was a surprise as Ohio State’s best player missed the game with an injury. It had many fans panicking heading into the NCAA Tournament, but we all saw MSU turn it around and make a solid run in the Big Dance.

Michigan State also holds a 7-3 advantage in the last 10 matchups against OSU. The Spartans have also won nine straight games against Ohio State in East Lansing as well. The recent history favors Michigan State, but obviously, the past isn’t always an indicator of the future.

Ohio State season update

The Buckeyes come into this matchup with a 15-11 overall record and a 5-11 conference record. Even with the subpar record, they do have a few very solid wins. This includes UCLA, Alabama, and West Virginia in the non-conference portion of their schedule.

Ohio State’s best win however came two games ago when they upset Purdue. This win also came days after OSU fired their head coach Chris Holtmann, which makes it that much more impressive.

One thing in MSU’s favor however is the Buckeyes struggles on the road. Ohio State is winless in true road games this season at 0-8. So hopefully that trend continues and Michigan State can get their season back on track.